I currently use the Headway as a pre for my DB in front of an amp. Sometimes I use it for doubling with one channel being electric and the other the DB. Great unit. Has anyone tried the Radial Bass Bone 2 for doubling? Look like a good unit for my uses since it's more doubling friendly. Less complex. Tonebone Bassbone V2™ - Bass Preamp & DI Box
I use the headway but found the mute switch made a large pop/spike through the PA. I now use bassbone V2 with the headway going into channel 1. Elec into chan 2. Also depends on the gig. Club gigs doesn't matter so much but large concert halls accompanying an orchestra headway mute switch was not quiet enough. Haven't really tried the bassbone on its own for double mainly because I'm too lazy to plug in a power supply when the headway lives in my double bass case and runs on battery.
Thanks for the reply. I pick one up yesterday and used it as a DI going into FOH for a double bass set last night. Sound person was happy and so was I. Looking forward to my next doubling gig.
I have a Bassbone OD which I bought because I wanted the PZ switch but did not want to wait for the Bassbone v2, which was not yet available. I don't use the OD, etc. But it does work well for doubling, the mute is absolutely quiet (bad news that a mute switch would make a noise). The eq works well and the hpf is very good. It is designed such that it does not produce a ton of gain so everything stays very clean. So based on my experience I think the Bassbone v2 would be a good unit for doubling.
One other difference between the BassBone OD and the BassBone v2: The OD has a full-blown EQ for each channel - the v2 has an EQ on one channel, and a set of "shape/contour" switches on the other channel. So if you want full EQ control, the OD is a better option.
For sure. That would be a consideration for some. Maybe this makes sense, maybe it doesn't: I EQ my bass with the Aguilar head and onboard controls on my F Bass through the non EQ channel of the Bass Bone V2. I then EQ the double bass with Bass Bone. The Headway is much more versatile in the EQ department but I'm hoping the Bass Bone will do the trick for most of what I do for doubling.
Anyone using this unit for doubling still? Vs the bassbone od which is best? Seems like amp could eq electric and bassbone eq for upright would be just fine... also no mid control on the OD...
I still use my v1 Bassbone. Electric on input 1 and upright on 2. I haven't used the other versions so I can't compare, but haven't felt the need to change either.
I haven't found any "two-into-one" preamps useful for any applications where you're sending a bass or high energy signal to the PA. If you have a bass guitar and upright going into the same amp, and you're powering the room with that amp, cool, but if you're sending one line to the FOH for and upright and electric, it just doesn't work for me. On the gigs where I need to bring an upright and bass guitar, I request two inputs on the front of house mixing desk. I send one dedicated line for each instrument. Unless you're traveling with a dedicated FOH engineer, sending an upright and bass guitar through the same channel is a great way to make both instruments sound "not good." The HPF, compression, and EQ that are needed for both to sit properly in a mix out front aren't going to happen on a single channel. IMO, the required settings to make an upright sound great and a bass guitar sound great are pretty far apart in the context of a band mix. Plus, if you are EQing from the stage, what you need as a player, and what the FOH needs could be wildly different depending on the room. In short, two dedicated channels sent to FOH, and then monitor from the stage using whatever method you prefer.
I feel the same way, and FOH engineers I've worked with like to have separate signals for upright and electric. Lately I've been using a Genzler Magellan 800 head with my electric going into the input and my upright going through a Grace Designs BiX going into the aux in of the Magellan, which goes straight to the Master output bus. FOH can take a line from the Bix for upright, and electric from the Magellan direct out. I'd love to get a Felix, since that has separate xlr outs for each channel (and I LOVE the sound of the BiX on my upright)...but I need to sell some stuff!
